Voters to pick new SLO County District 2 supervisor. Here’s what you need to know
Voters in San Luis Obispo County’s Second District will choose between Democrat Jim Dantona and independent Michael Erin Woody on June 2 to replace retiring Supervisor Bruce Gibson.
For thousands of Morro Bay and Los Osos residents, it’s the first chance to vote for a county supervisor in eight years.
Here are key takeaways on the race:
- Dantona and Woody, who’s running with no political party affiliation, are competing in a District 2 race covering Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria and San Simeon.
- The June 2 primary marks the first chance Los Osos and Morro Bay voters to cast a ballot for county supervisor since 2016, after the controversial 2021 Patten Map split the North Coast into three districts before being thrown out in court and replaced by Map A in 2023.
- Dantona, a Cayucos resident and former president and CEO of the SLO Chamber of Commerce, is running on a platform of creating jobs, building affordable housing and protecting the coastline while opposing offshore oil drilling.
- Woody, a Morro Bay civil engineer who left the Republican Party in 2019 and sits on the Salinan Tribal Council, is campaigning on environmental stewardship, government transparency and opposition to battery storage facilities and offshore wind projects.
- At an April forum in Morro Bay hosted by the League of Women Voters, the candidates split sharply on the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant — Woody called for closure within five years, while Dantona argued shutting it down would cause blackouts until other power sources are developed.
- As of the latest campaign filing in mid-May, more than $200,000 has been raised in the race, with Dantona pulling in $159,620 — including a $25,000 personal loan and maximum $5,900 donations from PACs and individuals — compared with Woody’s $52,660, which includes $45,000 in personal loans and donations capped at $500 per donor.
- A Dantona campaign mailer sent to more than 7,000 North Coast households on May 5 highlighted Woody’s 2018 statements on climate change, ICE and oil drilling, which Woody called “slanderous” and said misrepresented views that have evolved significantly over the past eight years.
- At a Cayucos forum hosted by Preserve Cayucos LLC, Dantona predicted a rocky working relationship with District Attorney Dan Dow over partisan differences, while Woody said he could work with anybody regardless of political affiliation.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 11:21 AM.
Hannah Poukish
The Tribune